Rwanda

<p>The German government initiative &quot;Alliance for Product Quality in Africa II (AfPQ II)&quot;, is a multi-stakeholder initiative, consisting of public and private actors who implement selected projects with the goal to improve product quality in key economic sectors of African countries and builds on the success of the &quot;AfPQ I&quot; project, under which more than 40 companies were certified to standards that are required to access high value markets in Europe and groups of quality and food safety experts were trained to provide business support services in the long term. ITC is contracted by GIZ to &nbsp;implement three project activities related to quality management and food safety in four countries, namely C&ocirc;te d&apos;Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana and Rwanda. The three project activities are being implemented to support selected African small and medium sized companies in the targeted focus sectors to meet quality requirements of buyers in Europe and other important export markets. The ITC contribution relates to the implementation and certification of quality management, food safety and related standard based compliance systems, the improved coordination of standard setting bodies and the private sector in the focus countries, and the development of national quality and food safety experts as well as the sensitization and training of quality manager in SMEs. The sectors targeted are predominantly agri-food, natural cosmetics and textiles/clothing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The joint programme (JP) is <a href="#_msocom_1" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_1"></a>designed to improve the livelihoods, economic opportunities, and overall well-being of Small-Scale Cross-Border Traders (SSCBTs) in Rwanda, with a special focus on women in the informal sector. The programme uses digital technology to help traders to access resources, connect with new markets, and benefit from existing services. It also ensure that regional and national policies related to CBT and digitalization translate into tangible outcomes for traders.</p><p>By fostering collaboration and offering opportunities for cultural and economic exchange between border communities and CBT Platforms, the JP brings together the United Nations organizations - ITC, IOM, UNCDF and UNCTAD, with ITC as the lead. The collaboration not only supports the trade-for- peace agenda but also contributes to inclusive economic growth.</p><p><a href="#_msocom_2" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_2"></a></p>

<p>This program aims to contribute to the liberalization of services in order to enhance competitiveness, promote sustainable economic growth, attract investment, create decent jobs, and benefit consumers in the Central African Region (ECCAS).</p><p>The Overall Objective of this programme is to contribute to increasing intra- regional, continental, and bilateral trade in services. The Specific Objective is to increase Services liberalisation and exports for selected service sectors at the multilateral, continental or regional level in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)</p><p>To achieve this objective, along with the ECCAS commission and its 11 Member States, the programme will focus on the 4 following outputs:</p><p>&bull;Output 1: Trade barriers in priority service sectors are analyzed, and related policies are properly defined.</p><p>&bull;Output 2: Support to ECCAS member states in the development of lists of specific commitments under the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services.</p><p>&bull;Output 3: Awareness of exporT opportunities is strengthened for the private sector, particularly for women- and youth-led businesses</p><p>&bull;Output 4: Appropriate, harmonized, and transparent regulations for trade in services, incorporating social and climate-related provisions, are developed and made more accessible.</p><p><br></p>